Reviews with content warning for Mental illness - Happy Place

Reviews tagging 'Mental illness'

Happy Place by Emily Henry

242 reviews

kelisabeth's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Content Warnings

allingoodtime's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional hopeful reflective sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

This book packs a punch. There is so much angst and yearning. My heart was being torn out while listening to this story. It’s all told from Harriet’s POV, but once things get going it’s plain to see that she’s not getting the full picture of what is going on around her. Not necessarily through the fault of any of her loved ones, but because Harriet is a people pleaser and never stops to truly listen to what is being said around her. If there is strife, she is looking for a way to smooth things over. Not just in her own life, but in those around her. If her two best friends, Sabrina and Cleo, seem at odds, Harriet is right in the mix to keep things upbeat. She tries so hard and is constantly working to keep things even-keeled, it’s a wonder she hasn’t collapsed under the pressure she puts on herself.

I found this story to be a slow starter. I feel this is the case with most of this author’s books. Yet, as usual, after a few chapters and once everything important is established the story takes off. I love the glimpses of Harriet and Wynn from earlier times when they first fell in love, and how deep their feelings grew. Wynn has so many quotable moments. He’s such a romantic and he is obviously head over heels in love with Harriet. But Wynn grew up with a loving family and knows how to trust his feelings and the feelings of those around him. Harriet questions everything and doesn’t trust that if she doesn’t live up to some image she has made up in her head she will be left in the dust. She may get frustrated that Wynn underestimates his intelligence, but she underestimates her worth. Their week pretending to still be engaged while on vacation with their friends is a roller coaster of emotions. It’s so clear they are still deeply in love, but can they find a way to be together?

This is a friends story as well as a second chance love story. All friendships go through different phases. Now that Harriet and her friends are out of college and into their careers, it is natural that they don’t have a lot of time for each other. Especially since they no longer live close to one another. This means that they are keeping things from each other that they never would have in the past. They each want the little bit of time they have with each other, be it on the phone or in person, to be carefree and fun. Yet these things they’re withholding mean they are speaking to each other less and less and the cracks are forming. The author does a wonderful job of showing those cracks while also showing the depth of the love they have for each other.

I have seen some reviews where people think Harriet isn’t happy, but in my the eyes this is a true HEA. From the first time we see Harriet reflecting on her job it is clear to me she is not happy with the direction she took her life while in school. I don’t want to give spoilers so I can’t say too much about how things end. I will admit there were times I was afraid it wouldn’t be a true HEA for both Harriet and Wynn, that one of them would have to sacrifice their happiness to be together. I ended up loving how things turned out for them and like I said, think it’s a true HEA.

Content Warnings

ktv's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous emotional hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

So cute and captivating. I love these characters. I love how the side characters weren’t even side characters, but they had lives and personalities of their own. A story about (mis)communication, growing up, and always finding a place where you belong with the people you love.

Content Warnings

abby_can_read's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional funny hopeful medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

📖
I enjoy Emily Henry books. This was good and I enjoyed reading it. I think Henry's books follow the same trope - the characters not talking and accepted their assumptions despite it being oblivious to others.

Content Warnings

natreadsss's review

Go to review page

emotional inspiring lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Content Warnings

greatexpectations77's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

Julia Whelan just does such a great job narrating, and I think this book may have bored me a bit more without her talents. I do love a slow burn romance, but this one maybe was too slow? I got a little bored in the middle, and I felt like the the "conflict" in the relationship was just as deep as one in a Hallmark movie -

just lack of communication.

Like, I wasn't rooting for them lol and also!

Was I supposed to catch that she hated being a doctor??? That seemed out of nowhere to me!

Would probs try Ms. Henry again.

Content Warnings

isfantasi's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

Content Warnings

shelbylynnn's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional funny hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This book was so unexpectedly lovely and everything I could ever want out of a romance. I honestly was not expecting this to be a 5 star read but it ended up hitting me really hard. Idk if others would agree with my rating but I already know this one will have a special place in my heart for a long time. I genuinely think I read 90% of this with tears in my eyes. It was beautifully written and the characters were lovable and funny and felt like a real group of friends. I also always love an angsty slow burn romance and this one hurt!!

I didn't read the synopsis before starting this, it was just an impulse pick when I saw it was available and knew it was an author I wanted to try out. I immediately loved the writing but I was skeptical in the first few chapters because the pretending-to-be-a-couple trope felt like it could get cheesy very quickly. Instead it turned into a really beautiful story about meaningful friendships and what it's like to grow and change with people you love.

So many aspects of this story resonated with me-realizing you've unintentionally drifted apart from your best friends as you've gotten older, struggling to find a career path and purpose in life, learning how to make yourself happy instead of relying on other people. This book really just hit me hard in the best way possible, (and also made me miss my friends SO much!!!) Def recommend for anyone who wants an emotional and touching story about love and friendship!

Content Warnings

ariana3's review

Go to review page

emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective relaxing fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

I've been debating reading this for so long and just kept putting it off, thinking it would be some cheesy, predictably annoying beach read. It is somewhat predictable and it is a beach read, but it was so much better than I expected!!! It's a will-they-won't-they story for sure, but there was so much emotion behind the book. It was so much deeper than I anticipated, exploring relationships with friends, family, friends that truly are family, and romantic ones also. The big underlying feature that felt specifically relevant for me was the relationship of one's self and their identity and happiness being intertwined with their job. Woof that was all too relevant and a doozy to see reflected back to you on paper 😮‍💨
Plot summary:

A group of 3 friends (Harriet, Sabrina, and Cleo) all meet each other while living together in a dorm in college and instantly become family. They become inseparable and eventually add 2 guys to their group, Wyn and Parth. They take yearly vacations to Sabrina's ridiculously huge and nice family "cottage" in Maine and it becomes Harriet's "happy place." Harriet and Wyn begin dating and it's an instant connection. They fall in love and he eventually moves out with her to San Francisco where she's completing a grueling residency for neurosurgery. The grow apart, fight (or lack thereof), and just arent communicating effectively, so Wyn abruptly ends it, leaving Harriet in the dark and with no closure. 5 months later, Sabrina invites them for one last trip to the cottage before her dad sells it. Harriet doesn't know Wyn is there until she shows up...they haven't told anyone that they've ended their engagement and are no longer together (turns out Sabrina knew the entire time but she didn't tell them and concocted an entire plan to get them back together). So they fake being together, there's chemistry, confusion, they talk it out, etc. Already long story short, the friends fight then come back together because they know they're family. Wyn and Harriet don't get back together because Harriet needs to figure out what she truly wants and to not just do what other people tell her she should do. At the airport on her way back to SF, she realizes she hates her job and she was only doing it to please her parents. In the process, she's pushed away everyone she loves, including the love of her life. So she decides to run out of the airport to leave, only to see Wyn running into the airport 🥹 she says that she wants to be with him where she's happy, she withdraws from her residency and moves to Montana with him and his mom, and she works at a pottery studio doing what she loves!

Content Warnings

flamesocks's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional funny lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Loveable characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Content Warnings

More...